Little-seen Michael Jackson mural will resurface at Valley museum

Ann Johansson / For The Times

In this 2009 photo, artist Kent Twitchell sits with panels that make up his Michael Jackson mural. The Museum of the San Fernando Valley will debut an exhibit Friday displaying elements of the little-seen 10-story-tall mural.

In this 2009 photo, artist Kent Twitchell sits with panels that make up his Michael Jackson mural. The Museum of the San Fernando Valley will debut an exhibit Friday displaying elements of the little-seen 10-story-tall mural.

Kent Twitchell's 10-story Michael Jackson mural will resurface at the Museum of the San Fernando Valley

The Museum of the San Fernando Valley will debut an exhibit on Friday displaying elements of a little-seen 10-story-tall Michael Jackson mural painted by Kent Twitchell.

Twitchell painted his ode to the pop star in the early ‘90s. The mural was planned for the side of the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood, but it never was installed. In 1993, around the time Jackson was accused of child molestation, the installation was put on hold.

The 100-foot-tall, 60-foot-wide portrait was shown at a downtown L.A. gallery exhibition, “Thriller: The King of Pop Meets the King of Cool, Exploring the Lost Works of Kent Twitchell,” in 2009. But the portrait has largely remained in storage.

Scott Sterling, president of the museum, is in discussions with Twitchell and the Courtyard by Marriott in Sherman Oaks about having the mural installed on the east side of the hotel facing the 405 freeway. Sterling estimates the project will cost upward of $200,000.

Funds from the exhibition, for which the museum is asking a $10 donation, will go toward mural installation, which Sterling says "will advance art and culture in the Valley.”

The exhibition, “Kent Twitchell's Incredible Mural of Michael Jackson," includes pieces of the artwork as well as face studies that Twitchell painted of Jackson. A digital rendering shows what the final mural might look like on the side of the hotel.

“This could be the beginning of many murals on many buildings in the San Fernando Valley,” Sterling says. “And bringing people here internationally who are fans of Michael Jackson. I’d like to see the economy boost through art, culture and appreciation for where we live. The Valley has an important entertainment history — and this mural would just boost it.”